Tennessee’s country legends

“East Tennessee, Southwestvirginia and Northern Georgia have always been a part of country music history. The mountains here were settled by the Scotsirish, who brought their ballads and musical instruments from their home countries. There were also influences from gospel and the blues, so it’s a real merging of cultures.

You can’t talk very long about East Tennessee and Sevierville without mentioning Dolly Parton.we’re very proud of her. She grew up in a rural area, but Sevierville was her closest town and The Pines Theater was where she had her first paid performance.walking tours in downtown Sevierville tell stories of Dolly’s childhood – in fact, we’re working on a new one that’ll include places like the Old Kilpatrick’s Drug Store, where she used to go for hot dogs.

Dollywood is the place to go for Dolly fans.the theme park has rides and attractions, plus there’s lots of live entertainment and seasonal festivals.there’s always live music there, from country and gospel to more contemporary stuff.

Country music is really evolving. Lainey Wilson (originally from Louisiana) is so popular, and so is Kelsea Ballerini out of Knoxville.there are so many live venues beyond Sevierville, too. Knoxville has a load, and Ole Red (inspired by the Blake Shelton song) is a favourite in Gatlinburg. Then, of course, there’s the legendary Nashville and its Bluebird Café, where Taylor Swift was discovered.”

Carroll Mcmahan is a historian, tour guide and native of Sevierville,tennessee.